Ecuador seeks to identify remains of 116 inmates killed in prison riot

FILE PHOTO: Members of the military gather outside of the Penitenciaria del Litoral, one of Ecuador's largest prisons, after prisoners died in a riot, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, September 29, 2021. REUTERS/Vicente Gaibor del Pino

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (Reuters) - Ecuador on Thursday sought to identify the remains of the 116 inmates killed during a riot at one of its largest prisons earlier this week, the latest bout of violence authorities have linked to gangs vying for control of drug trafficking routes.

Dozens of relatives of inmates at the Penitenciaria del Litoral in the country's largest city of Guayaquil gathered outside a morgue seeking information on loved ones, after the deadliest outbreak of prison violence in Ecuador's history on Tuesday in which 80 people were also injured.